The Worst Acute Illness and How To Deal With It

As a homeopath, I am often exposed to my clients’ acute symptoms. But I never really worry too much. Getting sick is all about susceptibility. I’ve been using homeopathy for 25 years, so my susceptibility is pretty low. Plus I eat well, exercise frequently and get plenty of sleep.

So if a client needs to come for an appointment and brings their sick child, I am just not that concerned. Except for one illness.

In my opinion, Gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is the worst acute illness. For obvious reasons, if someone has it, I ask them to stay home.

Personally, I hate throwing up, I hate feeling nauseous, and I hate the anticipation of whether that glass of water is going to come back up. All in all, it feels like torture. I’d rather have a cold or the flu.

Fortunately, homeopathy can make a bout of the stomach flu short lived.

Below are some common remedies for Vomiting and diarrhea and their indications for use. Recently, my blog featured recommendations for dosing for acute illnesses except for diarrhea and vomiting. Below the remedies is a flow chart on how to dose when you get tortured with diarrhea and vomiting.

Note: These Vomiting remedies are for symptoms of stomach flu, not motion sickness or sea sickness. As it gets closer to the time when people are taking cruises, I will post some sea sickness remedies.

Note: Also please note that there are MANY more remedies for vomiting. These are just the most common. In fact, recently I wrote in the blog about fever remedies and shared a personal experience with nausea, which included a remedy that is NOT listed below. If none of these remedies match, please contact Lotus Homeopathy for help. 651-748-1556.

Most Common Remedies Used For Vomiting

Arsenicum Album

This remedy has an undeserved reputation as being the go-to for vomiting. As you can see, it isn’t at all like Nux Vomica which also has that reputation. However, it is a number one choice for food poisoning.

Almost always very cold.

Restlessness, anxiety, desires company.

Exhaustion and weakness from nausea and vomiting. Almost cannot vomit anymore due to being too weak to do so.

This remedy is for very intense vomiting. When the least little movement makes you vomit, or the least amount of food.

Lots of drooling.

Coughing leading to vomiting (which is really more of a cough symptom).

Fever is warm, but hands and feet are chilly. The body could be chilly with the fever, but heat is more likely. The cold hands and feet is a more peculiar symptom.

Fever could also be intermittent where it comes and goes.

Could also include loud burping and sour burps.

Smell of food causes nausea. (Sepia)

Vomiting bile because the patient has thrown up stomach contents.

Vomiting does not ameliorate the patient.

Vomiting during diarrhea episodes.

Weakness from diarrhea.

Diarrhea could be painful or painless.

Nux Vomica

This remedy has an undeserved reputation as being the go-to for all vomiting that occurs. While it certainly is a helpful remedy for vomiting, it does have symptoms that make using it more successful.

Very irritable with the nausea and vomiting. Does not want company. And frankly, you don’t want to be around this person either.

Chilly with fever.

Feels like if he could just vomit or just get the stool out he would feel better. The attempts to vomit can be ineffective. Generally, constipation accompanies the nausea and vomiting, rather than diarrhea.

Severe vomiting, often projectile vomiting, often at the same time as diarrhea.

Excellent remedy for shivering and vomiting after anesthesia.

Vomiting accompanied by cold perspiration on the forehead, chills, cold breath, and collapse.

Worse: Vertigo. After sleeping. Pregnancy. Surgery.

Most Common Remedies for Diarrhea

Diarrhea often accompanies vomiting, or follows it, but not always. Sometimes it stands on its own. These remedies are for acute diarrhea, not chronic diarrhea which is often a sign of inflammatory bowel conditions. This would require treatment by a homeopath.

Aloe Socotrina

Acute diarrhea produced with much flatus and sputtering.

Much gurgling and rumbling in the abdomen before stool.

Involuntary stool, especially when passing gas.

This is a good remedy for “Montezuma’s Revenge”, aka traveler’s diarrhea.

The diarrhea is generally worse in the morning and may drive the patient out of bed in the morning.

Worse: Cold drinks (especially when heated). Ice cream and other cold food. Eating. Being elderly is more likely to be a contributing factor to needing this remedy. Lying flat.

Stool: Offensive, putrid smelling. Light colored or watery. Bloody.

General: Chilly but craves open air or being fanned. (SRP)

Colocynthis

Diarrhea with terrible cramping in abdomen. Uncontrollable desire to double up by bending forward or bringing knees to chest.

Worse: After anger. Diarrhea that comes on when vexed. Eating. After drinking, even slight amounts. Like Nux Vomica, you probably wouldn’t enjoy being around this person due to their irritability and anger.

Better: Coffee.

Croton tiglium

Forceful, profuse, explosive diarrhea, exploding out in a single gush. Accompanied by a great deal of gas.

When someone needs this remedy, it is very easy to tell. Very unique symptoms.

Watery, profuse, explosive diarrhea with much gas and sputtering. Soils the entire toilet bowl (even the butt) with the noisy stool. (I recall going into a public restroom that was disgusting, seeing a toilet like this. “Podophyllum,” I said to my kids.

Urgent stool in the morning, wakes patient and drives him out of bed at 5 or 6 AM.

Offensive stool; others avoid the bathroom for several minutes after. (Most things associated with the remedy Sulphur involve an offensive odor. Sulphur is what is produced by things that are decomposing or rotting. Also, the smell of matches is caused by Sulphur.)

Stool is painful; burning or soreness of anus on passing stool.

Worse: Morning. Suppressed eruptions. Standing because it makes you have to have a bowel movement again.

Almost always accompanied by itching or burning at the rectum.

Stool: Smells like rotten eggs. Bloody. Frothy. Mucus. Like other Sulphur symptoms, it could be yellow.

Veratrum can be confused with Arsenicum as both remedies are for patients who are chilly to very cold.

Worse: Autumn. During painful menses. Motion.

Forehead is cold and possibly sweaty. Abdomen may also be cold during diarrhea.

Stool: Strong smelling, irritating to the skin. Black or bloody.

Dosing for Vomiting or Diarrhea

Most often, 30c potency is adequate and it should improve the symptoms in short order. Remember, if your symptoms are caused by food poisoning, you may continue to vomit or have diarrhea. The important thing to note is whether you are feeling better. Perhaps the stomach pains are less, you are warmer, less restless, etc. Just look at the symptoms associated with the remedy you have chosen and see if they are better.

The following graphic should be helpful in determining how to dose your remedies for Diarrhea or Vomiting.